FEMA's Dirty Little Secret

I promised some kids back in N.O. that I'd let everyone I know hear about what's been goin down in New Orleans so take 5 minutes out of your privileged lives and become aware.

For those who don't know, Howard has sent 570 students (70 law students week 1 and 500 undergrad week 2) to New Orleans as part of an Alternative Spring Break program to rebuild and reestablish the New Orleans community.

It'd be hard for anyone to argue with Kanye's Bush allegations because after visiting all the wards, 9th and east in particularly you could tell FEMA didn't do SHIT! Two years after the hurricane and it looked like Katrina had just hit. Houses were laid barren and destroyed and every mile had big open fields where houses once stood. It was past depressing. It was disgusting. I don't think anyone outside N.O. could understand or fathom how hard Katrina had hit the city and the extent that the government chose to ignore the devastation...Naw, scratch that, they didn't ignore the White affluent areas, those areas were rebuilt. It was the areas where the poor and Black people lived that were consciously overlooked.

Can you imagine losing everything? Living in a trailer literally half the size of a dorm room with your entire family?!? Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced and many will not return. I mean how could they? Insurance companies have pulled every scam in the book to keep people from getting money to rebuild and the media got it twisted. Did anyone else find it disgustingly ironic that in identical pictures, each showing a Black or a White person swimming into abandoned stores searching for food and clothing, the captions differed greatly..somehow Black people were "stealing and looting" and White people were "finding." America has found everyway to trick its people into believing that some how the people of New Orleans, human beings mind you, deserved this. No one deserves this. No American should have to wait 4 DAYS for help in their OWN COUNTRY while we do lord knows what in Iraq.

I don't know how many stories I've heard about the police shooting down boys who "stole" boats and trucks in efforts to save people from flooded homes, innocent people being shot down for trying to cross the bridge into predominantly White areas which ironically happened to be the least effected and driest.

Some of us did debris removal, others built homes. My group (Bus 6!!) got to volunteer at a charter school and St. Augustine High School. There we met some of the smartest; most mature, hilarious and just cool ass boys around. I can't say in words how uplifting it was too see so many intelligent young Black men, all destined for college. We all wish we coulda stayed longer. It was almost too much fun.

So for all of yall who went to Miami or Mexico for Spring Break just know that 500 some odd Howard students went down to Nawlins and sacrificed their vacation for the benefit of those who need it the most. Trust and believe much more needs to be done so this summer or next Spring Break consider taking the alternative down to New Orleans, I'll see you there because I will go back without a doubt!